Free Falling
by cmwilding
Summary: After her boyfriend turns out to be crazier than Emily could have imagined who will she turn to for help?
1. Chapter 1

Emily was still in shock over everything that had happened the night before. She looked in the mirror as she gently traced the bruise that was beginning to form under her left eye and across her cheek. She felt her throat tighten as she lifted her shirt over her head and inspected the rest of the damage done to her body.

Just below her neck a nasty black and blue mark trailed around the base of her throat where he had tried to grab her. Other, less noticeable bruises littered the top of her arms. Dark finger marks were left around her wrists when she had made another attempt to get away. That had been the last straw and something inside of her snapped.

She had pulled back suddenly and then kicked the bastard right where it hurt. She reached for her gun and pointed it at his head.

"You know I'm a good shot," she said calmly. "I won't hesitate to blow your head off if you do not get the fuck out of my house right now."

He had the audacity to look shocked and call her a crazy bitch before leaving, slamming the door behind him. She had quickly scrambled off of the floor and made sure it was double locked. He had a key for the top lock, but not for the second. She looped the chain hook into place just in case. She also set the alarm, before allowing herself to relax.

She couldn't believe how stupid she was. She had actually thought that she had a real future with Adam. They had been dating now for over six months and she would never have imagined he was violent person. In fact, just yesterday she would have sworn that he would never lash out in anger.

Usually the men she dated started dropping off around month three. The traveling that came with the job made it hard to have a real connection with someone. Besides that, the job itself was dark and Emily had her fair share of dark days. Most people couldn't handle that and she couldn't blame them.

Adam had been different though, always willing to lend an ear when she was feeling down. He was there for her in a way that no one else had been in a long time.

The minute she entered her apartment that night he was coming at her. He was flipping out because he had promised she was coming home the day before but the team had gotten caught up with last minute paperwork. She had tried to talk him down but the first punch had startled her.

Now though, as she looked at the damage she was disgusted. She had actually been falling in love with the scum of the earth. How many other women had he done this to?

She had laid on her couch all night and all day, trying to focus on the television and not the gun she held in her hand. She hated herself for letting him get to her, for making her feel scared in her own home.

She couldn't just sit around anymore. The last case she'd just come back from had been tough and Hotch had given everyone the weekend off. She wondered what her teammates were doing and she bet they were having a better weekend then her.

She changed her clothes, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and threw on her running shoes. It was just starting to get cold in Virginia but if she was running then she figured she could leave her jacket.

She put her iPod on full blast and went out the door. She ran fast, letting the pain in her legs be the only thing she focused on. She ran past the park, which was her usual route and made her way up and down different streets. It was just starting to get dark when she realized where her feet had led her.

She stood outside Derek Morgan's newest project. It was a big house, and it looked like it was in better shape than the last time she had seen it. She occasionally helped him out on his houses when she felt that busting down some walls and doors would take the edge off.

The light was on inside, so he must be there. She knew the case had really affected him and this was his way of dealing with it.

She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to be alone and she didn't think she could bring herself to go back to her empty apartment. There would be questions though, if he saw her like this. The shirt she was wearing was a scoop neck and it was only had three quarter sleeves. The worst of her injuries were all showing.

It wasn't that she would keep seeing Adam, in fact if he came anywhere near her again she would make good on her threat of shooting him. But she couldn't help but think that she should have seen this coming, she was a profiler for god's sake. How could she have been so stupid?

She didn't really have any other choice though. Derek was her best friend on the team and while she felt close to the others there was no way she could go to them in this situation. She didn't have any other friends and wasn't close to her family. The team were the only people she had.

She didn't let herself think too much as she went up the porch steps and knocked in the door.

* * *

Derek had just finished taping up the molding and windows when he heard someone knocking on the front door. He wondered who it was as he walked through the hallway. No one usually bothered him when they knew he was working on one of his projects except for Emily and even she always called first.

Figuring it was one of the neighbors, he put on one of his charming smiles. His face immediately dropped when he saw his friend on the porch, trying to cover some obvious bruises by wrapping her arms around herself. Besides the bruises, which stuck out dramatically against her pale skin, there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked sweaty and cold, making it clear to him that she had actually ran here.

"What happened?" He asked, looking up and down the street for any signs of trouble. While the bruises looked at least a day old, he had learned early on that you could never be too careful.

When she didn't answer, he moved aside so she could come in. She didn't move so he gently took her by the shoulder and guided her into the kitchen.

"Sorry about the lack of furniture," he said, leading her to a stool. "This is the only room I have done so the breakfast bar is about the only thing I have to sit at so far."

She nodded, not meeting his eye. Derek could feel his heart beating faster and he tried to control his breathing. He was beyond pissed right now but he didn't want to freak her out anymore than she already was. It would have taken a lot for her to get to the state she was in. She was the calm, cool, and collect one in a tough situation. Whoever had done this to her was going to pay.

"What happened, Em?" He asked

"I don't-I just," she stammered, unable to find the right words.

"Hey," he said, placing his hand over hers. "Just tell me who did this to you."

"Adam," she barely whispered. "It was Adam."

Derek didn't know what to say. He knew that she had really liked the guy, even introduced him to the team.

"Adam? As in your boyfriend Adam?" He clarified.

"The one and only," she replied. "Can you believe I thought I loved him?"

Hearing the self-loathing in Emily's voice was the tipping point for him, he couldn't hold back his anger anymore.

"I'll fucking kill him!" He yelled, slamming his hand down on the counter. The outburst, coupled with the loud bang against the counter startled Emily and she fell back off of the stool. If anything was going to pull Derek out of his anger, it was the look on her face at the moment.

"I already threatened him. He knows me well enough to know that I wasn't kidding about shooting him. He's not going to bother me again," she said, accepting Derek's hand to help her back onto her seat.

He took a couple of more deep breaths and pulled himself out of his fog of anger. He could punch things all he wanted later, but his friend needed him right now and he couldn't forget that.

"Has he…" Derek trailed off, not quite sure how to ask the question on his mind without upsetting Emily further. "Has he ever done this sort of thing before?"

"What?" Came her sharp reply. "Of course not, I would have kicked him to the curb long before today."

"Have you talked to anyone about filing a complaint? That asshole should be in jail"

Emily thought about it for a minute before saying, "I really don't think that's necessary. He's not coming near me again and I don't want it to become public knowledge."

The words had a clear meaning, she didn't want the team to know. Derek knew his friend well enough to read between those lines.

"They are going to find out what happened, Em," he said. "They are going to see that shiner on your face on Monday morning and they'll ask questions."

She sighed, "I know. I just really wish they would let it be."

"Then they wouldn't really be your friends would they? You have no reason to be embarrassed by what happened, it's his fault, not yours."

"I'm not stupid, Derek. I know it's not my fault, blah, blah, blah. But I feel like I should have known something was off."

"You aren't a superhero, you can't read people's mind, princess," he told her. "And if I'm going to be completely honest with you I need Adam to be arrested. If he isn't in protective custody I won't be able to stop myself from hunting him down and killing him myself. Then I'll be in jail."

She finally met his eye and nodded, "Okay, but can you call Hotch?"

He didn't hesitate before answering, "Sure thing. We should head back to my place though, it's a lot more comfortable and I can just call him from there."

"That's really not necessary," she tried to argue. "It's past dinner time so I think I'll just go home and make something to eat."

Derek wasn't buying it, "I insist. We'll just grab a pizza on the way home. I'm starving anyway."

"Oh, all right," she agreed.

* * *

Derek had excused himself over twenty minutes ago. They had come back to his place and had eaten their pizza in front of the television. Neither of them had paid much attention, but the background noise meant there didn't need to be any awkward conversation.

Emily knew she needed to go home soon. She was exhausted from not sleeping the night before and her run had left her needing a shower. Just thinking about plopping into her warm, comfy bed brought a smile to her face.

As if reading her mind, Derek came back into the room. He looked grim, but she assumed he had just talked to Hotch about Adam so it wasn't surprising.

"You must be tired," he said. "Why don't you just stay here for the night? I have pajamas you could wear and you know the spare room is always open to you."

Emily thought about it for a minute. It would be nice to not be alone and she really didn't want to go back to her apartment but she knew she was being a coward. She would need to go back home eventually, what did it matter if it was tonight or tomorrow?

"No, I really just want to sleep in my own bed tonight," she told him.

He seemed to have expected that answer though because he countered with, "I'm coming with you then."

"You really don't have to, I have one of the best alarm systems out there. Besides, I already told you Adam's not coming back."

Derek sighed, "For my own peace of mind then? Will you do it for me?"

Emily hesitated before nodding. She knew that having Derek around would really make her feel better. It would give her enough peace of mind to actually get some sleep.

She let him pack his go bag and they left. The car ride passed too quickly for her liking and before she knew it they were pulling up to her apartment. She had argued to come back here, but as they climbed the stairs she couldn't shake the bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

The first thing she noticed amiss was that her front door was wide open. She stopped dead in her tracks and Morgan stumbled into her. He noticed the front door right away and pulled out his gun.

"We need to clear your apartment," he told her, motioning for her to follow.

"I-I don't have my gun," she said, her voice shaking. She gripped his arm so he wouldn't leave her alone in the hallway.

"Alright," Derek said, gun still raised. "We'll just call for backup and wait out here."

He pulled out his cellphone and handed it to her. She dialed a number she knew by heart and waited as it rang a few times.

"Hey," she said breathlessly. "Hotch? Can you call the others and tell them to come to my apartment? Morgan and I need backup."

**To Be Continued ...**


	2. Chapter 2

"Prentiss, I need you to call JJ immediately. I'll call everyone else, I'm only about five minutes out but I'll call some uniforms in. Okay?" Hotch asked. He knew that she was with Morgan but who knew what Adam was capable of. He needed to get everyone there as fast as he could.

"Okay," she agreed, hanging up the phone.

Hotch started calling everyone else, giving them the short version of what happened. He told them they there was a break in at Emily's apartment and her and Morgan needed back up quickly. He didn't have time to explain everything to them or deal with their questions.

He sped through at least three red lights, his lights flashing. He drove faster than he had in a long time and got there in less time than he thought he would. He was the first one on the scene but he could hear sirens getting closer. He jumped out of his car and heading into her apartment building.

He dashed up the steps two at a time. The sight that greeted him when he reached Prentiss' floor made him stop short. She looked worse than he had imagined. Morgan had told him that she was pretty banged up but to see the extent of the bruising was sobering. Besides the injuries, she looked tired and disheveled. She always took great care to look perfectly put together and it was disconcerting to see her like this.

"Hotch!" Morgan called, catching sight of him. "Thank god. You want to stay here while I clear the place?"

"Wait a minute," Hotch replied. "We don't know what's waiting in there for us and there were officers right behind me."

As he was saying that, voices started coming from the stairwell. Two policemen came climbing up the stairs. Morgan nodded toward Hotch, making it known that he still wanted to go in and search the apartment himself. Hotch knew that the only thing that kept him from running inside now that Prentiss wouldn't be in danger was her tight grip on his arm.

"Why don't I go in?" he suggested, "You stay out here with Prentiss."

Derek looked like he was going to argue but he turned around and got his own look at Emily.

"Okay," he said. "You go."

Hotch took the lead as he entered with his gun at the ready. They cleared the rooms one by one until they were sure that there was no one else inside. Whoever had been here had certainly left some damage. Most of the things that had once covered Emily's shelves, like lamps and knickknacks, were all smashed on the floor. Rage would have been the main factor going through the unsub's mind. Hotch shook his head, this wasn't their unsub because they already knew who had done this. What would have made Adam so volatile? His fight with Prentiss according to Morgan had come completely out of the blue. What had triggered such a violent response?

He walked back into the hallway to inform his agents that the house was safe to enter.

"I've got to warn you though," he said to Prentiss, "he left a mess behind."

Hotch kept a close eye on Emily as she walked into her home, her face completely blank. He knew she was able to hold in her emotions better than others but the calm was scaring him a little bit. He knew that the day's events were taking a toll on her and it wasn't healthy to bottle up your feelings the way she was.

They went though each room and if Hotch didn't know Emily so well he wouldn't have noticed the way her eyes had become a little glassy. He knew she wouldn't cry though, at least not in front of him. She wouldn't allow herself to feel that vulnerable in front of anyone.

He looked to his other agent and could see that unlike Emily, Morgan was having trouble containing his own emotions. He was shaking from anger and the expression on his face was deadly. It was part of the reason that Hotch had wanted him to wait outside. He wasn't sure that Morgan would be able to control himself if he was the one who found Adam.

"Oh my god!" A cry from the doorway pulled Hotch out of his thoughts. He whipped around to see JJ, Reid, Rossi, and Garcia in the doorway. Garcia had been the one to speak but the others were just staring at Prentiss in shock. They were each looking her over trying to guess what had happened. Hotch turned his own gaze to her and saw her blush from the attention.

"It's not as bad at it looks," she tried, touching a sore spot on her neck.

"Who did this?" Reid asked, looking anywhere but his injured friend. Instead, he focused on the destruction of the apartment.

"It was Adam," Emily told them, taking a seat on the couch. "When I came back from our case I headed straight home and he was here. It wasn't the surprising because he's here a lot but when I walked in he started flipping out. He came at me a couple of times and in the end I threatened to shoot him if he didn't leave and he did. I went over to Morgan's for a while today and I guess he came here looking for me."

JJ and Garcia flocked to her side. Garcia took the seat on her right and JJ took the one of the left. Penelope put her arms around her friend while JJ held her hand.

"I can't believe it," JJ said. "I thought he was a nice guy."

"Yeah, well, me too," Emily answered dryly.

Reid just kept inspecting the room and Hotch could guess the kind of statistics that were going through his head. He was grateful that for once, the young man was keeping the facts to himself. If he starting going on about the percentages of women in abusive relationships, Hotch knew that Emily wouldn't take it well. Rossi had gone to stand behind the couch and the girls. He had a protective hand on Emily's shoulder and an unreadable expression on his face. Hotch knew the man must be angry but he also knew that the man would have no problems keeping his emotions in check.

Morgan, on the other hand, was pacing. He was walking back and forth and back and forth. He literally couldn't keep still. Hotch wouldn't allow for Derek to work himself up into a state though, it was the last thing that any of them needed.

"Morgan," he addressed him, "come with me for a minute."

They made their way down the hallway while the others talking quietly with Emily, trying to get her to give them the details on what happened. It would be important in finding the bastard to know everything they could about him. He already had the locals on the lookout for him or his car but Hotch figured he's be lying low for a bit before figuring out his next move.

Morgan had followed Hotch into Emily's guest bedroom. It was a mess with everything ripped off of the bed and the lamp on the nightstand looked like it had been ripped out of its outlet thrown into the mirror over the dresser, leaving both items smashed. Derek kept staring at the broken glass and shaking his head.

"She loved that piece," Morgan said. "She obsessed over finding the right mirror to go in this room which I thought was ridiculous because who cares about the way the guest room is decorated? But she did."

Hotch didn't know how to reply. He hadn't pegged Prentiss as the type of girl who liked to decorate or obsessed about anything besides criminals. He knew that she helped Morgan out with his houses but he didn't know that she really cared about the decorating aspect.

"She just finished redoing her apartment last month," Derek continued, as if he had read his mind. "She was inspired by my last project and had helped me pick out some cool furniture. She wanted to make it more of a home because she was going to ask the jerk to move in with her."

"I hadn't realized things were getting that serious between them," Hotch said carefully. Morgan was getting more agitated as he talked and while part of Hotch wanted to let him blow of steam, this wasn't the time or place.

"He did this to hurt her," Morgan said. "He knew how much effort she had put in and he deliberately destroyed all her hard word. Never mind the fact that she spent a small fortune on all this shit. Why would he do that? She claims he just snapped. There's got to be a trigger."

"I don't know," Hotch admitted. "But we need to talk to Emily more, get a background of their relationship. Things are escalating too quickly."

Morgan nodded, "But do you think it could wait until morning? She needs sleep and I don't think she got any last night. She's running on fumes right now. Let me take her back to my place."

Hotch considered the idea. He knew that the longer they put it off the harder it would be to get Prentiss to talk but he also knew she wouldn't last much longer. She needed sleep and she wasn't going to get any if she came back to the office with them. Going with Morgan would allow her to get some sleep without feeling suffocated.

"Alright," he agreed. "But you guys are to come into the office first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I'll have Garcia try and track him down and run a background check on him.

* * *

Emily was exhausted. She wouldn't say anything, she knew that they still needed to interview her and with Adam still out there it was too dangerous to stay here. God, she hadn't thought he would come back. How could she be so terrible at reading him? They practically lived together. Looking around the room her heart sank. He literally destroyed everything. To do this to all of her things hurt worse than the physical blows had.

"Garcia do you mind tracking Adam down?" Hotch's voice interrupted Emily from her thoughts. "And you need to do a little digging in his background. I want to know everything."

"Your wish is my command!" She stated, getting up from the couch. "Don't worry, Em, I'll know where he is, where he's been, and where he's going in no time."

Garcia wasn't her normal self; she was trying to be cheerful but the act was falling flat. Emily could see how much this was hurting her friend and tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach. Garcia would normally be calling everyone some silly nickname and lightening the mood. She joked around even on some of the worst cases they had. But now, she could barely manage a fake smile.

"I'll talk to the media," JJ said. "If I get some calls in now, we can probably get his picture of the eleven o'clock news."

"Okay," Hotch said. "Rossi, you can come back to the office with me and we can go over the profile to try and predict his next move. Emily, you're going to go back to Morgan's house and get some sleep. We have an early day tomorrow. I think it goes without saying that you won't go anywhere alone until we find this guy."

Emily wanted to argue with him and tell them all that she was just fine to go in and help them build the profile but she could only find the strength to nod. She felt bad that her teammates, her friends, would probably be up all night but there was nothing she could do about it. Going with Morgan was the best option she had.

"I just need to grab my go-bag," she answered. "It's in my closet."

"Already got it, Princess," Derek said, tossing the duffel bag to her. "Let's get out of here."

Everyone went their separate ways while she followed Derek back to his car. She was asleep as soon as the car pulled onto the road.

"Wakey, Wakey," Derek said with a gentle shake to her shoulder. "Come on, you'll feel better in a real bed."

"And after a shower," she added, rubbing her eyes.

"Yup, you are already stinking up my car," he joked.

She rolled her eyes and made her way into the house. She headed straight for the bathroom, stripping off her clothes as soon as the door was shut. She didn't look in the mirror because she already knew she looked terrible. She turned the water on and stepped into the steamy shower. She wasn't sure how long she stayed under the warm spray but before she knew it there was a knock on the door.

"You alright in there?" Derek yelled over the sound of the rushing water.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she called back. "I'll be out in a minute."

She looked down and saw that her skin was red and blotchy form the heat of the shower. She hurried to wash her hair before turning off the water. She hadn't meant to lose track of time or worry Derek. She dried off quickly and put on her pajamas. She braided her hair to get it out of her face and then brushed her teeth. She already felt a million times better and couldn't image what a good night of sleep would do for her.

"Thought you drowned in there for a minute," Derek said with a laugh as she walked out of the bathroom.

"No such luck," she replied with a yawn.

"Let's go to bed," he said. "You heard Hotch it's going to be an early day tomorrow."

"There's nothing I want more than to go to sleep. Thank you, Derek, for everything," she said seriously. She needed him to know how much she appreciated him being there for her. Words didn't seem like enough but they would have to do for now.

"No need to thank me," he said, leading her to the guestroom. "I'm right next door if you need anything. Otherwise, I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she replied as he walked out, leaving the bedroom door open. She crawled underneath the covers and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Derek woke up before his alarm clock for the first time in years. He had set it early too because he wanted to be up before Prentiss was. The sun was just starting to rise in the sky and the pink light of dawn peeked through the blinds on his windows. He stretched and popped up out of bed. He would check on his friend, shower, and get breakfast ready before he woke her up.

He walked into the hallway and shivered. His house was usually pretty warm but he shrugged it off as not turning the heat on last night. He had yet to use it this season but it was getting chiller at night. He hoped Emily hadn't been cold and thought that maybe he'd put it on tonight if she stayed here again.

His heart sped up when he saw that her bedroom door was closed. He had purposefully left it open because he knew she would never come and wake him up. He made sure that he would hear her if she needed anything or had a nightmare. He pushed the door open and a knot twisted painfully in his stomach. The bed was unmade, covers thrown to the floor and the window was wide open with a split ripped though the screen.

"Damn it!" He yelled, punching the wall as hard as he could.


	3. Chapter 3

Emily had immediately fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep as soon as she laid down in the bed. She took comfort in the fact that Derek was in the next room and the idea of Adam coming to find her didn't even cross her mind. It was easy to feel safe here.

The feeling of hot breath on her face is what pulled her from her comfortable slumber. She slowly blinked her eyes open, confused at where she was for a minute. It all came tumbling back to her as she laid eyes on the person who was intently staring at her.

"Adam?" She asked, now fully alert. "What are you doing here? What did you do to my apartment?"

He didn't answer just pressed a gun to her temple. What the hell was he thinking? He didn't know the first thing about guns and always seemed afraid of Emily's, making her lock it in the safe as soon as she got home. How had he gotten one of his own and feel so comfortable using it.

"Shut up," he answered. "Just shut up, okay? If you don't do exactly what I tell you I'll kill you and your new boyfriend before you even have the chance to scream."

Emily felt her heart increase even more. She had almost forgotten where she was. Derek would have his gun at the ready if she could just figure out how to signal him without setting Adam off. Why hadn't she thought to sleep with her own gun close by? It was in her go bag which was probably still in the bathroom.

He pressed the gun harder into her head and said, "I'm not kidding you stupid bitch. Get up right now or I will blow your fucking brains out."

His choice of words weren't lost on Emily. She had said that exact phrase to him just a couple of days before. God, it felt like a lifetime ago. She couldn't ignore him for much longer. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon but it was still dark out. Adam would probably be able to kill her before her team even woke up. Hotch had wanted an early morning and that usually meant eight. If Derek woke up at seven to start getting ready that left at least an hour before anyone noticed she was gone.

Adam cocked the gun and she knew that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot. This wasn't the man she had fallen in love with. No, this was a monster. What the hell had happened while she was away that had cause him to snap so suddenly?

"Okay," she said, trying to stay calm. "I'll come with you."

She was as loud as she dared to be as she followed Adam out of the window and into his van. He made quick work of tying her up and pulled out a needle.

"Don't worry, love," he said, almost as if it was a week ago and he really wanted to offer her comfort. "This will help you sleep."

She struggled but being tied down only gave her limited motion. Besides that Adam was taller and stronger than her. Physically she would never be able to match him. He stuck the needle in the top of her arm and she watched as her world started to spin before she let the darkness claim her.

* * *

Everyone was already in the conference room when Derek arrived at the BAU. He had already informed that team that Emily was gone and they hadn't taken the news much better than he had. He looked down at his right hand and flexed his fist. The swollen knuckles would heal in a few days and he had needed that release of anger. Otherwise he would still be ready to kill someone. Now though, he didn't really feel anything, not even his throbbing hand.

Everyone looked tired and Derek felt guilty that he had gotten to go home and sleep while they had all been here for most of the night. He wasn't sure Hotch had gone home at all because he was still wearing the same suit he had on yesterday. That made his guilt increase even more, he should have stayed up last night. His only job had been to make sure Emily was safe and he hadn't even been able to do that.

JJ stood up in front of the large screen. Everyone else already had their tablets at the ready so Derek sat and reached into his bag to pull out his.

"Garcia is currently trying to track Adam's whereabouts but he hasn't used his credit card since yesterday. His phone was also found in his apartment when we checked the place out last night. We are fairly sure at this point that Adam Franklin isn't his real name because we don't have a history for him before 2010."

"That's odd," Reid agreed. "Any clues on who he really is?"

"Not yet," she answered. "Garcia is doing facial recognition and we took figure prints from both his and Emily's apartment. Hopefully something will pop up soon."

Derek didn't want to lose objectivity. He had to try and think of this as if it were any other case if he wanted to find Emily.

"You said you checked out his apartment," he said. "Do you think he'd take her back there?"

"I doubt it," Hotch interjected. "The place seemed bare as if he had packed up his things and gone on the run. No pictures, most of his clothes are gone and there were no personal items that would identify the apartment as his. We have police staking the place out in case we're wrong though. They are at Prentiss' apartment, too."

JJ clicked a button and Adam's picture popped up. "This is the picture we found at Emily's apartment and it went out on the news twice. No tips that have come in have been particularly helpful so far."

Garcia came barreling into the conference room, making everyone jump.

"I've got something!" She exclaimed. "I think I know Adam's real name. Meet John Abram."

She put a stack of freshly printed photos onto the table. Passing them around everyone took a look at the man in the photographs. There was no mistaking it; the guy in the pictures was Emily's boyfriend.

"Turns out our guy is in the system. He's wanted on multiple charges of assault, stalking, and breaking and entering. Besides that he's wanted in a murder case."

Everyone was looking at their tablets and going through Abram's history. Derek focused on the arrest records and the restraining orders that he had against him. If they had only run a background check on the creep earlier than maybe this entire situation could have been avoided.

"Early 2009 his girlfriend at the time, Lisa Benton, went missing," Garcia informed them. "Her friends and family hadn't seen her for over two months before her body was discovered in the local woods."

Crime scene photos were now glaring at them from the big screen in the room. Derek couldn't take his eyes off a shot of the body, still in it's shallow grave in the woods. The girl's dark hair covered her pale face and she was still half covered in dirt. If he hadn't known better he would say it was Emily. It made him sick when he thought about her being alone with him.

"When they formally charged him with murder in the first late 2009, Abram disappeared," Garcia said interrupting Derek's morbid thoughts. "Besides her and the other girls he's terrorized by stalking there was one other serious case he was involved in twenty years ago."

Now a picture of a girl, who didn't look older than eighteen replaced the crime scene pictures. She looked young, happy and carefree. Brown, almost black curls fell down the girl's back and framed her face. She also looked similar to Emily, but not to the same extent Lisa had.

"He killed her?" Derek asked. The words tasted bad in his mouth. How long had this guy been doing this for? How hadn't they caught on?

"Well," Garcia said. "It was never proven to be him. No body was ever found. She walked to school one day and never showed up. She literally disappeared without a trace."

JJ looked up form the files she was reading, "Amelia Jones. She was only seventeen, a senior in high school."

"They didn't find blood or any other proof she was hurt?" Rossi asked.

JJ shook her head while reading further into her notes. "No, it says here that she was in a relationship with Abram though. Her parents weren't too happy about it so she lied and told them that they broke up. He was three years older but according to Amelia's friend Rebecca they kept dating anyway."

Derek looked over the file for himself. There was never any indication that Abram was treating her badly. Her behavior had changed though. She had started skipping classes and her grades were declining. The once straight A student had barely been getting C's.

"Any leads on where he might have taken Emily? Any place seem special to him?" Reid asked, changing the subject.

"I don't think he'd take her far," Hotch said.

"Well, according to my records before he changed his name to Adam Franklin he lived in North Carolina for the past nine years. It's where Lisa's murder took place."

"That's not too far from here. The guy has balls for murdering a girl and then moving only an hour and a half away," Derek added.

"He had a house but he sold it shortly before he was charged with the murder. I'm still looking for family properties in the area," Garcia said. "I haven't come up with anything yet."

"Okay you keep working on that then," Hotch told her. He turned to the rest of them, "JJ, Reid, Derek I want you take a drive to Lisa's hometown. See if anyone knows anything they didn't want to admit to police back in 2009. Abram taking another woman might push them into talking. Rossi and I will stay here and follow any leads that come in. I expect to be updated if you find anything."

Derek exploded, "No way! If you think she's close to home then why are you sending us to North Carolina? We'd be over an hour away if you guys found something."

"Morgan," Hotch stopped him, "we need to find out all we can. If going to interview witnesses will help us build a profile then that's what we are going to do. We have other back up and if a call does come in I will act immediately. We all want the same thing here."

Derek sighed and visibly deflated. He knew that Hotch was right and that he was being irrational. They didn't have time to argue over who needed to do what if they wanted to find Emily. He turned around, heading straight for the elevator. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner they would be back in Virginia.

"I'm driving," JJ demanded, running to catch up to him. "You're too upset to drive."

Derek wordlessly handed her the keys and waited a minute for Reid to catch up.

"Hey," JJ said, grabbing Derek's arm so he would look at her. "Everything is going to be okay, alright?"

He nodded and they all headed down to the parking lot.

The drive was long and Derek was starting to grow impatient. He knew that JJ was driving well over the speed limit and they couldn't safely travel any faster but he wished they would hurry up and get there already. His thoughts kept drifting back to Emily. He thought about all the times they had worked on his houses together, caught a drink after work, or even when they would go for a run together. He had never realized how much he had come to depend on her until she was gone. He was close to everyone on the team in a different way, but his bond with Emily was the strongest. He loved everyone but if he ever needed to vent she was the first person she called. She had been busy these past couple of months but they still made time for a quick coffee run together in the mornings.

He wished he could get the image of Lisa Benton's body out of his head. He knew that he couldn't assume the worst, but that image was burned into his brain. Emily would look the same if she were left alone with Abram long enough. She was the strongest person he knew but she was weaponless and with a man that was nearly twice her size. What chance would she have to get away?

They finally pulled up the police station. They went inside and talked briefly with the detective that had been in charge of Lisa's case but he didn't have much to tell them. They basically knew everything in the file and he suggested they go and speak with her parents.

Outside they agreed that maybe the parents would be more helpful.

* * *

JJ was worried. One of her best friends was currently trapped with a psychopath and if she were honest with herself, she knew that the chance of Emily coming out of this alive was dropping with every passing minute. This was their job, to catch the bad guy and save the victim but this was harder than most of the cases she had ever been on.

Lisa's parents hadn't been any more helpful than the detective. They had claimed that they had never had a strong relationship with their daughter and even though they lived in the same town they rarely saw each other. They also said that Lisa didn't have many friends but she did spend a lot of time at work. They thought her old coworkers might be able to give them more information. The parallels between Emily's life and Lisa's life were hard to ignore.

Emily had been growing distant for a while now and JJ hadn't done anything to stop it. She had been busy with her own life, juggling work and motherhood was hard. She had let her friendship with Emily fall to the side. They only saw each other in the office and when they were on cases. Had that been Abram's doing? Did he want her separated from her friends and none of them had realized?

She glanced away from the road to get a good look at Derek. Reid was intently going over files in the backseat and was completely absorbed in his reading. Derek, on the other hand, was a nervous ball of energy and it was starting to concern JJ. He was known for having trouble dealing his anger but this wasn't typical Derek Morgan anger. No, this was worry and guilt. He was taking Emily's disappearance the worst and it made JJ question his feeling toward her.

Before she could think about Derek's possible romantic feelings, her cell phone started ringing. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was Garcia.

"What's up?" She asked, answering the phone.

"I've got a location," Garcia said in a breathless voice. "It's about halfway between where you are and D.C. so I already sent Hotch and Rossi out but I think you guys might be able to get there sooner."

"Okay," JJ answered, pulling out her GPS. "Where is it?"


	4. Chapter 4

Emily couldn't breathe. She could feel her heart race and she began to panic. Something was covering her mouth and it was making it close to impossible to take a deep breath in.

"Calm down," A familiar voice said, untying whatever had been coving her face.

She felt strange, as if her entire body was buzzing. She was so tired and yet she felt restless at the same time. Emily knew that she wasn't safe, wherever she was.

"That's my girl," the voice said again. "That's better."

It was dark and Emily couldn't see anyone anywhere. She tried to stretch her neck and was surprised by how sore it was.

"What happened?" She croaked. "Where am I?"

There was no answer and the longer they sat in silence the clearer her memories became. She was with Adam but she didn't remember anything after he had woken her at Derek's.

"Adam?" She called out.

"That's not my name," was the reply. This time his voice wasn't gentle at all.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. She was trying to stall him. He was obviously escalating quickly and she needed to talk him down before he tried to do something too drastic.

"You can call me Johnny," he said. "Mia always did."

Now she was thoroughly confused. "Who is Mia?"

As soon as she asked the question Adam came closer and backhanded her.

"You don't get to say her name!" He yelled. "She was a hundred times the person you'll ever be!"

"Okay," she tried, "I won't say her name anymore. I promise."

"Good," he whispered back. He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. "Amelia was the only one in the entire world who ever loved me."

Emily shivered. She had loved him, or at least she thought she had. Her stomach was in knots thinking about whatever Adam had done to this other girl. How long ago had it been? A week, a month, or had it been years since Adam had done whatever he did to her?

Her eyes were slowly getting used to the low light and she could see Adam, Johnny or whatever the hell his name was leaning against the far wall breathing heavily. She was sitting on a hard floor and she could see a wooden staircase leading to a closed door. The dampness had seeped through her clothes and she couldn't help but shiver. The drugs were still making her feel woozy but she knew they were in a basement. The real question was where? If they were in a populated area then a scream could save her life and if they were in a remote area then it could be the tipping point for Adam to kill her.

Before she had made a decision either way she heard a commotion coming from above. She locked eyes with Adam and saw a spark of evil that she had never seen before, not even when he had given her the bruises that she was currently sporting.

"Stay here or I swear I will set off a bomb and kill them all."

He had come to the same conclusion as her, it was her team usstairs. She wasn't sure that she believed that he had an actual bomb; his body language suggested that he was lying but she wasn't willing to bet her friends' lives on that.

"I won't move," Emily promised.

He gave her one last look before he headed up the stairs. There was muffled shouting but she couldn't make out anything clearly when she heard two distinctive shots.

Derek could feel his leg bobbing up and down as they drove quickly down the winding street. He could do nothing to stop his nerves from making him so jumpy. It was taking too long to get to the address that Garcia had sent them. What if they were too late? He could see Emily's body, pale and lifeless, with her unseeing eyes staring at him.

He resisted the urge to punch something for what seemed like the millionth time. If he began to show that he was losing control then JJ might make him wait in the car when they finally got there and that was not an option.

"This is it," JJ said as they made a sharp turn off of the pavement and onto a dirt road. "Keep an eye out for a driveway. Garcia said it didn't look like it was too far on the map."

"There's a break in the trees up ahead," Reid said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"We follow protocol when we go in," JJ replied. "We get the vests out of the back and put them on before we go in."

Derek nodded in agreement. "I'll take the back you two go in the front and we make a quick sweep."

The pulled up to a small cabin and JJ cut the engine. She passed them each a headset silently. They grabbed their vests and headed in.

Derek went around back and kicked the door in. He made quick work of the back of the house and listened as Reid and JJ both cleared the other rooms. He was about to make his way upstairs when a voice from behind cut through his thoughts.

"Are you looking for someone?" He asked.

Derek turned around and came face to face with the one person he wanted to kill the most at this moment.

"Adam," he growled, "where is she?"

Adam, or John rather, had a large gun pointed directly at Derek's chest. "It doesn't matter where I left her body. You'll never find her."

Derek's blood ran cold. Emily was dead?

"You killed her?" His voice didn't sound right to himself. It almost was if he was underwater. Shock, he recognized the symptoms. He vaguely heard a gasp and looked up to see a stricken Reid in the doorway, pointing his gun at the bastard's head.

"Yeah, I killed that bitch," he taunted as he cocked his gun. "Just like I'm going to kill you."

A shot rang out but Derek had enough experience to duck. He heard a second shot and watched as Reid's bullet hit the man. He dropped to the ground, an instant kill.

"No," He heard Reid say as he walked toward him. "She can't be dead."

"Are you guys alright?" JJ called from behind.

"Yeah," he replied. "We're fine."

"We need to keep looking for her," Reid insisted. "She's got to be here somewhere."

Derek nodded. He wouldn't accept that Emily was gone unless he saw a body with his own eyes. He stood up shakily and put an arm out to Reid to steady himself.

"Are you sure you're okay?" JJ asked, checking him from head to toe for injury.

"I'm fine," he snapped back.

JJ didn't respond but he could tell she didn't believe him.

"He's definitely dead," Reid said as he bent over the body checking for a pulse.

"Good," JJ said. "Let's look for Emily."

A scream rang out and Derek felt his heart literally skip a beat. It sounded as if it might be coming from below them.

"The basement," he said, looking around for the door that would take them there.

"Over here," Reid called, already making his way down.

Derek followed close behind and almost dropped to his knees when he saw his friend. She was shaking and pale but at least she was alive. Derek didn't think he had ever felt such a profound sense of relief in his life.

"Thank God," he said as he sat down in front of her and pulled her into a hug.

"I already called for an ambulance," JJ told her, "and Hotch and Rossi should be here any minute."

Emily just smiled in return. Derek could tell that she was a little out of it.

"Did you hit your head?" He asked in concern.

She shook her head, "No, but he did drug me."

"With what?" Reid asked, coming closer. He bent down and took Emily's pulse.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "He shot something into my arm."

Reid titled her head to the light and studied her eyes.

"Is she okay?" Derek asked him.

"I'm not a medical doctor," Reid answered, "but she doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger."

Emily didn't seem alarmed but Derek reassured her anyway. "You're fine. You're going to be fine."

"I know," she said with a smile. Derek checked her over and knew she was right. They would wait for the doctor to give her the final okay but he had no doubt that she would be just fine.

**The End**

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I am thinking about a sequel so if you have anything you'd like to see in the future of this universe feel free to let me know. I'd love to hear your ideas :)_


End file.
